It was 19 March 2013. Pope Francis had been elected just a few days
before. He preached on Saint Joseph, the “protector” of Mary and Jesus[1],
as a model of discretion, humility, silence, abiding presence and complete
fidelity.

The present Way of the Cross will make constant reference to the
gift of our being “protected” by God’s love, particularly by Jesus crucified,
and to the task which we in turn have received, to be loving protectors of all
creation, of every person, especially the poor, of ourselves and our families.
In this way we will make the star of hope shine forth in our world.

We want to take part in this Way of the Cross in profound union with
Jesus. Attentive to the words of the Gospel, we will soberly meditate on some
of the thoughts and feelings present in the mind and heart of Jesus at
that time of trial.

We will also consider some of those challenging situations which –
for better or worse – are typical of our own time. By allowing them to
resonate within us, we will show our desire to imitate our Lord Jesus
Christ in his Passion.

Prayer

O Father, who willed to save mankind by the death of your Son on the
cross,
grant that we who have known on earth the mystery of his love,
may be his witnesses, in our words and actions, in our daily lives,
before all those whom you place on our path.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

FIRST STATION
Jesus is condemned to death
Intimacy, betrayal, condemnation

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Luke

“This is my body, which is given for you… This cup that is poured
out for you is the new covenant in my blood”.[2]

From the Gospel according to Mark

“Pilate spoke to them again, ‘Then what do you wish me to do with
the man you call the King of the Jews’. They shouted back, ‘Crucify him!’.
Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after
flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified”.[3]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

I just celebrated Passover with my disciples. I had eagerly desired
this:[4] my last Passover, before the
passion, before my return to you! But then something went wrong. The devil put
it in the heart of one of my disciples to betray me.[5]
In the garden of Gethsemane he came up to me. With a sign of love he said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!”. And he kissed me.[6]
How bitter was that moment!

During the meal, I asked you, Father, to protect my disciples in
your name, that they may be one, as we are one.[7]

OUR RESONANCE

Jesus, even more than your first disciples, we are weak in faith.
We too risk betraying you, while your love should make us love you all the more.

We need prayer, watchfulness, sincerity and truth. That is how our
faith can grow. A faith which is strong and full of joy.

May this miracle take
place for our priests who celebrate the Eucharist and for all of us, the
faithful who approach the altar to receive you, the living bread come down from
heaven.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

SECOND STATION
Jesus takes up his cross“Numbered with the transgressors”

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Mark

“After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put
his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him”.[9]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

The soldiers of the governor surround me. For them, I am no longer
a person but a thing. They want to toy with me, to mock me. So they dress me
up as a king. There is even a crown, a crown of thorns. They strike my head
with a reed. They spit on me. They lead me off.[10]

I keep thinking of the striking passage of the prophet Isaiah about
the Servant of the Lord. It says that he had no appearance of beauty; he was
despised; he was a man of sorrows; he was like a lamb led to the slaughter; he
was cut off from the land of the living; he was beaten to death. I am that
Servant, sent to reveal the greatness of God’s love for man.[11]

OUR RESONANCE

You, Jesus, were “numbered with the transgressors”.[12]
Among the first generation of Christians, simply because they spoke openly of
you, Peter and John, Paul and Silas were cast into prison.[13]
This has happened repeatedly throughout history.

In our day too, men and women are imprisoned, condemned and even
slaughtered for the simple reason that they are believers or engaged in
promoting justice and peace. They are not ashamed of your cross. For us they
are wonderful examples to imitate.

LET US PRAY IN THE WORDS OF A MARTYR, SHAHBAZ BHATTI

On the morning of 2 March 2011, Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s Minister
for Minorities, was killed by a group of armed men. In his spiritual testament
he had written:
“I remember a Good Friday when I was only thirteen years old. I
heard a sermon on the sacrifice of Jesus for our redemption and for the
salvation of the world. And I thought of responding to that love by showing
love for our brothers and sisters, placing myself at the service of Christians,
especially the poor, the needy and the persecuted who live in this Islamic
country.
“I want my life, my character and my actions to speak for me, and to
say that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. This is so strong a desire in me that
I would consider it a privilege if Jesus should wish to accept the sacrifice of
my life”.

In the light of this testimony, let us pray: Lord Jesus, you
strengthen inwardly all who suffer persecution. May the fundamental right of
religious freedom spread throughout the world. We thank you for all those who,
like “angels”, give marvellous signs of your coming Kingdom.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

THIRD STATION
Jesus falls beneath the cross“Behold the Lamb of God”

Adoramus…

From the Book of the prophet Isaiah

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our
iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his wounds we
are healed”.[14]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

I stagger as I take my first steps towards Calvary. I have already
lost a lot of blood. It is hard for me to bear the weight of the wood I have to
carry. And so I fall to the ground.

Someone helps me up. I see people all around me. Surely there are
some who love me. Others are just curious bystanders. I think of John the
Baptist, who at the beginning of my public life, said: “Here is the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world!”.[15]
Now the truth of those words is revealed.

OUR RESONANCE

O Jesus, on this day we must not be like the Pharisee who sings his
own praises, but like the tax collector who does not even dare to look up.[16]
So in trust we ask you, Lamb of God, to forgive our sins, in thought and word,
in what we have done and what we have failed to do.

As we ponder the weight of your cross, we will not be ashamed to
make the sign of the cross on our bodies: “It is an effective aid: free for
the poor and effortless for the weak. For it is a grace from God”.[17]

LET US PRAY

Your Son shared our human life

We give you praise, Father most holy, because time and time again
through the prophets you taught us to look forward to salvation. We praise you
because you so loved the world as to send us your only-begotten Son. To
accomplish your plan of redemption, he shared our human nature in all things but
sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation, to prisoners
freedom, and to the sorrowful of heart joy.[18]

Thank you, Father!

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

FOURTH STATION
Jesus meets his MotherA sword will pierce your soul

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Luke

“Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, ‘This child is
destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that
will be opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a
sword will pierce your own soul too’ … His mother treasured all these things in
her heart”.[19]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

My Mother is part of the crowd. My heart is racing. I can only
catch a glimpse of her. Blood is streaming down my face.

When I was just forty days old, I was brought to the Temple to be
presented according to the Law of Moses. A prophet spoke to my father and
mother. His name was Simeon. He took me in his arms. He said that I would be
a “sign of contradiction”, and he told my mother that “a sword will
pierce your soul”. Those words have now become a searing reality, for her
and for me. Today my presentation is complete.[20]

MARY’S RESONANCE

“O my God-sprung Son, you are dragged by the hands of this evil
generation and you bear it; you came to be thrown into chains and willingly let
yourself be led by them, you who are the liberator of the enchained human race
from its chains! … How devastated I am! Speak, say a word to me, O Word of God
the Father, do not pass by in silence before your handmaid, who became your
mother”.[21]

Jesus, the drama played out between you and your mother in a street
of Jerusalem makes us think of so many dramatic family situations in our world.
No one is spared: mothers, fathers, children, grandparents. It is easy to
judge, but it is more important to put ourselves in the place of others and to
help them as best we can. This we will try to do.

LET US PRAY

“Do whatever he tells you”

Holy Mary, mother of Jesus and spouse of Joseph, we ask you to
accompany the Synod of Bishops on the family. Intercede for the Pope, the
Bishops and all those directly engaged in its labours. May they be docile to
the Holy Spirit and carry out their discernment with wisdom. May they keep in
mind the words of the Psalm: “Mercy and truth will meet”.[22]
At the wedding feast of Cana, you said to the servants: “Do whatever he tells
you”.[23] Sustain all
Christian spouses and parents, called to bear witness to the beauty of a family
inspired and guided by the words of Jesus.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

FIFTH STATION
The Cyrenean helps Jesus carry his crossReturning from the fields

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Luke

“As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was
coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it
behind Jesus”.[24]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

All around me I hear shouting. They have forcibly laid hold of a
labourer who was passing by, perhaps by chance. Without much explanation they
force him to shoulder my burden. I feel relieved. They tell him to walk behind
me. Together we will go to the place of execution.

More than once, when proclaiming God’s kingdom, I had said:
“Whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”.[25]
But now this man is carrying my cross. Perhaps he doesn’t even know who I am,
yet he is helping me and following me all the same.

OUR RESONANCE IN PRAISE OF SIMON

“Blessed too are you, Simon, who in your lifetime carried the cross
behind our King. Those who carry the insignia of kings are proud, but kings
will disappear with their insignia. Blessed are your hands, which lifted and
bore in procession the life-giving cross of Jesus.”[26]

Lord, perhaps for some of us, too, our first encounter with you
occurred in a completely unexpected way. But then it grew.

Let us consider it a great grace that there are still Cyreneans
in our midst. They carry other people’s crosses. They do it with
perseverance. They are motivated by love. They put into practice Saint Paul’s
command: “Bear one another’s burdens”.[27]
In this way they protect their brothers and sisters.

LET US PRAY

Who doesn’t need a Cyrenean?

Lord Jesus, you told us that “it is more blessed to give than to
receive”.[28] Make us ready to
be “Cyreneans” to others. May those who see our way of life find encouragement,
as they watch us striving to cultivate all that is beautiful, just, true and
essential. May the frail see us as humble, for we too are frail in so many
ways. Those who receive tokens of our generosity will realize that we too have
a thousand reasons to be thankful. Even those who cannot run can simply stand
and wait, for they are dear to us. They will find us ready to slow our pace: we
do not want to leave them behind.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

SIXTH STATION
Veronica wipes the face of Jesus Women Disciples

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Luke

“[Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and
bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well
as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called
Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s
steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their
resources.[29]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

There are many women in the crowd. Kindness inspires one of them to
come and wipe my face. This makes me think of so many other encounters. One
was just a week ago. I went to dinner in Bethany, as the guest of my friends
Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Mary anointed by feet with perfume made of pure
nard. I said, to her surprise, that she should keep it for my burial.[30]

I can also remember sitting beside the well in Sychar. I was tired
and thirsty. A Samaritan woman then came by, carrying a water jar. I asked her
for water. I spoke to her about water which springs up to eternal life. She
seemed to be waiting for this gift, to open her heart. She wanted to tell me
everything about herself. I saw her, in amazement, delving into her
conscience. And she returned home speaking of me and saying: “Could he be the
Messiah?”.[31]

OUR RESONANCE

Jesus, this evening, in our midst, there is a significant presence
of women. In the Gospel women have an important place. They looked after you
and the apostles. Some of them were present at your passion. And they would be
the first to bring the news of your resurrection.

The feminine genius impels us to a faith full of love for
you.[32] All the saints teach us
this. We want to follow in their footsteps.

LET US PRAY

The gift of spiritual motherhood

Lord Jesus, the proclamation of the faith in the world and the
progress of Christian communities are largely sustained by women. Protect them
as witnesses to that happiness born of an encounter with you, a happiness which
is the mysterious secret behind their lives. Protect them as a radiant sign of
motherhood at the side of the little ones, who, in their hearts, become the
greatest.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

SEVENTH STATION
Jesus falls the second time “Do not be far from me”[33]

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Matthew

“Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane… and prayed. He
took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and
agitated. Then he said to them: ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain
here and stay awake with me’. He prayed: ‘My Father, if it is possible, let
this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want’”.[34]

From the Gospel according to Luke

“Then an angel from heaven appeared and gave him strength. In his
anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood
falling down on the ground”.[35]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

It is not simply physical weariness. There is something deeper I
have to endure. Last night I prayed long and hard to the Father, stretched out
on the ground. My sweat was like drops of blood. My death was already upon
me. Now I am sharing the ultimate, painful experience of every human being near
death. Thank you, my Father, for sending an angel from heaven to comfort me at
that moment!

OUR RESONANCE

Jesus, how much pain lies deep within those many souls racked by
loneliness, abandonment, indifference, illness, or the loss of a dear one!

Boundless too are the sufferings of those trapped in painful
situations, those who hear only lying and hateful words; those who encounter
hearts of stone which cause tears and lead to despair.

The human heart – the heart of each one of us – awaits something
completely different: the protection of love. You, Jesus, teach this to us and
to all people of good will: “Love one another, as I have loved you”.[36]

LET US PRAY

My heart, protect and console!

Be open, my heart. Be as expansive as God’s own heart. Be open to
bringing hope. Be open to caring. Be open to listening. Be open to pouring
balm upon every wound. Be open to bringing light to those living in darkness.
Protect and console, today, tomorrow and always.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

EIGHTH STATION
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem“You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world”[37]

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Luke

“A great number of people followed him, and among them were women
who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them
and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves
and for your children’”.[38]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Just a few days ago, I entered Jerusalem. A small crowd of
disciples was there to welcome me. They even greeted me with the words:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”.[39]
For all its simplicity, that moment was also most solemn. And yet the Pharisees
showed their displeasure. The joy did not stop me from weeping at the sight of
the city.[40] Now as I make my
weary way towards Golgotha, I hear the cries of women weeping for me as they
beat their breasts.

OUR RESONANCE

Perhaps today too, Jesus, looking at our cities, would have cause to
weep. We too can be blind, failing to see the path to peace which you point out
to us.[41]

But now we realize the summons contained in your words in the Sermon
on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”. And in your
words to the disciples: “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of
the world … Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father in heaven.[42]

LET US PRAY

In the light of the heavenly Jerusalem

Lord God, you have called us to the heavenly Jerusalem, God’s
dwelling-place among men. There, you have promised, every tear will be wiped
from our eyes. Death, mourning, weeping and pain will be no more. You will be
our God and we will be your people.[43]
Protect our hope that, after the toil of our sowing in tears, we will come at
last to the joy of the harvest.[44]

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

NINTH STATION
Jesus falls the third timeThe “journey” of Jesus

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to John

“I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am
leaving the world and am going to the Father”.[45]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

My earthly journey is now at an end. When I was born, my Mother
laid me in a manger.[46] I lived
almost my whole life in Nazareth. I immersed myself in the history of the
Chosen People.

On my journey as the One sent by the Father, I preached the breadth
of his love, which overlooks no one; the length of his love, which is faithful
in every generation; the height of his love, a hope which triumphs over death
itself;[47] and the depth of his
love, which sent me to call not the righteous, but sinners.[48]

Many heard and followed me, becoming my disciples; others did not
understand. Some even fought me and ultimately condemned me. But at his moment
I am called, more than ever, to reveal God’s love for all mankind.[49]

OUR RESONANCE

Jesus, in considering your love and the love of the Father, we
wonder if we risk becoming beguiled by the world, which can only see your
passion and death as “folly and scandal”, and not “the power and
wisdom of God”.[50] Could it
be that we Christians are lukewarm, while your love is a mystery of fire?

Do we realize that before God came among us, we did not even know
who God was? When you, the only-begotten Son, came into our world, God
who had formed us in his image, let us look up to him and promised us the
Kingdom of heaven.How then will we not love the one who loved us first?.[51]

LET US PRAY

“Abba, Father”

Lord God, we dare to call you “our Father”. To think of
ourselves as children is a marvellous gift for which we are eternally
grateful. We know, Father, that we are but a speck of dust in the universe.
You have granted us a great dignity, you have called us to freedom. Free us
from all forms of slavery. Do not let us wander far from you. Father, protect
each of us. Protect every man and woman on the face of the earth.

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

TENTH STATION
Jesus is stripped of his garmentsThe robe

Adoramus…

From the Book of Psalms

“They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they
cast lots”.[52]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

I stand in silence. I feel humiliated by so apparently banal an
act. I was already stripped hours ago. I think of my Mother, who is here. My
humiliation is also hers. Once more her heart is pierced. To her I owe the
robe which was torn from me, which is a sign of her love for me.[53]

OUR RESONANCE

Lord, your robe makes us think of a moment of grace and so many
violations of our human dignity.

The grace is that of Baptism. A newly-christened child is told:
“You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself with Christ. See in
this white garment a sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and
friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the
everlasting life of heaven.[54]
Here is the deepest truth about human life.

Yet the love which which you protect each creature also makes us
think of appalling realities: human trafficking, child-soldiers, slave labour,
children and adolescents robbed of their souls, wounded in their deepest being,
barbarously violated.

You urge us in humility to beg forgiveness of all who have suffered
these atrocities, and to pray that the conscience of those who darkened their
lives will at last be stirred. In your presence, Jesus, we renew our resolve to
“overcome evil with good”.[55]

PRAYER

The two ways

“Blessed indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the
wicked, nor stands in the path with sinners, nor abides in the company of
scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord, and who ponders his law day
and night. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that
yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that
he does shall prosper”.[56]

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

ELEVENTH STATION
Jesus is nailed to the cross The supreme “throne” of God’s love

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to John

“Then they handed him over to them to be crucified … Pilate also had
an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth,
the King of the Jews’”.[57]

JESUS’ THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

They are driving nails into my hands and feet. My arms are
outstretched. The nails excruciatingly pierce my flesh. I am immobilized in
body, but free in heart, with the same freedom with which I went forth to my
passion.[58] Free, for I am full
of love, a love which embraces all.

I look at the men who are crucifying me. I think of those who have
ordered them to do this: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing”.[59] Beside me
are two other men condemned to crucifixion. One of them asks me to remember him
when I come into my kingdom. Yes, I tell him, “Today you will be with me in
Paradise”.[60]

OUR RESONANCE

We gaze at you, Jesus, as you are nailed to the cross. And our
conscience is troubled. We anxiously ask: When will the death penalty, still
practiced in many states, be abolished? When will every form of torture and the
violent killing of innocent persons come to an end? Your Gospel is the surest
defence of the human person, of every human being.

PRAYER

“Have mercy on us!”

Lord Jesus, to teach us how to offer our lives in love you embraced
the cross; at the hour of death you heard the plea of the penitent thief.
Sinless Saviour, you were numbered with the transgressors and submitted to the
judgement of sinners.[61]

Jesus cried with a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”.[62]
Then, turning to his Mother, he said, “Woman, here is your son!”, and to
the disciple John, “Here is your mother”.[63]
He said, “I am thirsty”.[64]
He said, “It is finished”.[65]
And finally, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”.[66]

OUR RESONANCE

On the cross, Jesus, you prayed. That was the way you experienced
the supreme moment of your call and mission.

In that hour you turned to your Mother and to the disciple John.
Through them, you also turned and spoke to us. We were entrusted to your
Mother. You asked us to welcome her into our lives and to be protected by her,
even as you were.

It impresses us deeply that, during an agony which lasted for hours,
you cried out to God in the words of Psalm 21, words which express the
sufferings but also the hopes of the just.

The evangelist Luke recounts that, at the moment of your death, you
said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”.[67]
The Father’s response will be your resurrection.

PRAYER

“Omnia nobis est Christus” (Saint Ambrose)

- Christ, we need you, to know ourselves and our destiny.

- We need you to discover the true basis of human
fraternity, the foundations of justice, the treasures of charity, the supreme good of peace.

- We need you, the great bearer of our sorrows, to know
the meaning of suffering.

- We need you, the conqueror of death, to set us free from
despair and denial.

- Christ, we need you, to learn true love and to advance,
in joy and with the strength of your love, along
our weary way, until at last we encounter you, the beloved, the awaited, blessed for all ages.[68]

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

THIRTEENTH STATION
Jesus is taken down from the cross The royal way for the Church

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to Matthew

“The centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over
Jesus… said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!’. Many women were also there …
Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the
mother of the sons of Zebedee”.[69]

OUR RESONANCE

- “In you, Jesus – word made flesh – we are called to be the Church of
mercy.

- In you – who chose to be poor – the Church is called to
be poor and the friend of the poor.

- As we contemplate your face, our own cannot be different
than yours.

- Our weakness will be strength and victory, only if it
reveals the humanity and meekness of our God”.[70]

LET US PRAY

“Father, extend to the whole human family the kingdom of justice and
peace which you have prepared through your only-begotten Son, our king and
saviour. Thus the blessing of true peace will be granted to humanity; the
poor will find justice; the afflicted will be consoled and all the peoples
of the earth will be blessed in him, our Lord and our God, who lives and
reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever”.[71]

All: Pater noster… Stabat Mater

FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is placed in the tomb Protected for ever

Adoramus…

From the Gospel according to John

“After these things, Joseph of Arimathea… asked Pilate to let him
take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed
his body. Nicodemus also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing
about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the
spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews”.[72]

THE FEELINGS OF TWO FRIENDS OF JESUS

The bodies of those condemned to crucifixion were judged unworthy
even of burial. Yet two men of standing, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus,
were concerned to protect the body of Jesus.

“How fortunate for you and me” – Joseph tells us – “that we became
disciples of Jesus![73] Before I
was a secret disciple. But now I have found great courage. I even approached
Pilate to obtain Jesus’ body.[74]
More than out of courage, I did it out of affection and joy. I am happy to have
provided a new tomb hewn in the rock.[75]
To all of you I say: Love our Saviour!”

Nicodemus could well add: “I first met Jesus by night. From him I
was invited to be born from above”.[76]
Only slowly did I come to understand his words. Now I am here to honour his
body. I readily brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes.[77]
But in fact Jesus did much more for me: he brought new fragrance to my life!”.

MARY SPEAKS TO OUR HEART

“John stood close to me. Beneath the cross my faith was sorely
tried. As in Bethlehem and then in Nazareth, now once more I ponder these
things in silence.[78] I have put
my trust in God. My hope, the hope of a mother, is not spent. You too need to
trust! For all of you I implore the grace of a strong faith. And for those
experiencing dark days, consolation”.

LET US PRAY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed art thou
amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.